My youth story cannot be a knight war

"Tsk... He's so handsome, but his real identity is actually that damned devil Number Zero?"

Shizuka Hiratsuka took the cigarette out of her mouth with trembling fingers. There was a clear mark on the cigarette holder. It was her subconscious reaction under the intense mental shock. The cigarette almost fell from her mouth to the floor.

She slammed the cigarette butt down on the desk behind her, took out another cigarette from the pack, lit it, and took a deep breath. The nicotine that flowed into her lungs slowly dissipated the stiffness that had been lingering throughout her body.

"God is truly blind. He's clearly the scariest devil in the world, yet he has such a harmless-looking face. If this guy were to enroll in our school, then Ye Shan's status as the unrivaled male idol among the girls would probably become a double-edged sword."

"Teacher, your joke is really cold... And although Hayama-san is hypocritical and cowardly, his crime is not so bad as to be listed alongside someone like Zero. In a sense, this can be considered a personal attack."

Yukinoshita, sitting in a chair, maintaining a dignified posture, spoke calmly, seemingly normal. If you ignored her pale face and trembling hands,

Yuigahama buried herself completely in her arms, not even daring to raise her head, her body shaking slightly like a child frightened by thunder on a rainy day.

"Although I'm happy to receive recognition of my appearance from you, Mr. Hiratsuka, please don't say such horrible things. After all, if Zero really came to Sobu High School, it would cause panic throughout the school. The principal would probably jump off the roof of the teaching building."

Hayama helped Tobe Sho and Miura Yumiko, whose legs were weak, to sit down on the chairs one by one. After hearing what Hiratsuka Shizuka said, the corners of his mouth twitched for a few seconds, and he turned around and said with a dry laugh.

"And aside from what I said before, Yukinoshita-san is absolutely right. Personally, I really don't want to be lumped in with a demon like Zero who kills without blinking an eye. It'll give me nightmares at night."

His gaze may have been looking at the light curtain that belonged to him, with fear, shock, and deep-hidden fear in his eyes. The power displayed by Daguba in this battle completely shocked him.

"This is the power of Number Zero. It's so strong... huh?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Hikigaya sitting next to Zaimokuza, who was sitting there silently, without any reaction.

"Hikigaya-san, are you okay?"

Ye Shan thought that he had not yet recovered from the mental shock caused by Daguba's previous look. Although the relationship between the two was not familiar, out of friendship as classmates, he asked with some concern.

"..."

Hikigaya still didn't speak. He lowered his head slightly, his hair covering his eyes, but the expression on his face at this moment could only be described as gloomy.

"Hachiman, are you okay?"

After his brain recovered from the excitement, Zaimokuza also noticed the expression of his best friend. He felt a little uneasy for some reason and waved his hand in front of him.

"...I'm fine."

Hikigaya raised his lowered head and spoke in a calm voice, but his expression was still gloomy and did not improve at all.

"But how do you see Jie..."

"Hikigaya-san, did you discover something?"

Yukinoshita interrupted Zaimokuza, her eyes fixed as she questioned Hikigaya. Although she disliked some of Hikigaya's ideas, Yukinoshita wasn't one to shy away from recognizing others' strengths. She knew full well that no one in the room could compare to Hikigaya Hachiman in terms of observation. He always managed to discover the essence of things from perspectives that many people wouldn't expect.

So, she thought, perhaps he'd discovered something this time, and with that expression... it was probably not a good discovery. Yukinoshita's words also caught the attention of the rest of the class. Everyone turned to Hikigaya, curious if he'd noticed anything crucial while everyone was stunned by Zero's display of strength.

Hikigaya, who was stared at by everyone, pursed his lips and uttered two words:

"……belt."

"Belt? Hachiman, which belt are you referring to? My belt or Mr. Kousaka's belt?"

When Zaimokuza heard this word, he looked confused, not knowing what the other party meant. The others had almost the same expression as him.

Only Yukinoshita and Ebina didn't understand what Hikigaya meant at first, but after thinking about this sentence several times, their faces changed, becoming as pale as snow, and their eyes were filled with disbelief and fear.

Seeing these two expressions, Hayama, who knew them well, felt his heart sink. A sense of foreboding suddenly welled up within him. It seemed Hikigaya's discovery was truly astonishing; otherwise, the calm and aloof Ebina and Yukinoshita wouldn't have reacted this way.

"Hikigaya-san, what belt are you referring to?"

"Yayama, when Zero was in the Gurongi form just now... did you see the belt around its waist?"

"——!?"

Hikigaya's low voice interrupted Ye Shan's words. Ye Shan, who was originally a little confused, suddenly understood and his eyes widened when he heard him say that.

All the scenes of No. 0's previous appearances were fragmented one by one, flashing through Ye Shan's mind, like the film of a camera, and finally stopped at the moment when it picked up the fragment and turned to face "Kousaka Kyosuke" - in that fleeting glance, No. 0 did not have the belt that a Gurongi should have around its waist.

After watching for so long, Ye Shan has a basic understanding of the Gurongi race. He knows that the belt called "Kiboron" around their waist is the same as the Yamadam spirit stone of "Zaimokuza Yoshiki", which is the source of their power, but No. 0 does not have it...wait.

Number Zero picked up the golden fragment from the ashes of Number Three's body. The golden fragment...

Like a flash of lightning exploding in his mind, Ye Shan finally understood why Ebina and Yukinoshita had such expressions, because he now had the same expression on his face.

"It seems you all guessed it."

Hikigaya said this in a soft voice, but to everyone's ears it sounded like the roar of a hammer hitting steel.

"For the Gurongi, their belts, like Zaimokuza's, are the source of their power. In other words, only with them can they be complete... but Zero, on the other hand, doesn't have a belt."

"That is to say, it has always been incomplete."

Hikigaya didn't say anything next. He closed his eyes and frowned tightly.

This worst-case scenario had unexpectedly become reality. Hikigaya was so utterly devastated by this.

The golden fragment that made Number Three so powerful turned out to be Number Zero's belt fragment. That was why it had chased him all the way to Nagano Prefecture, aiming to annihilate him and reclaim what was originally its own.

Why was Zero's belt scattered in pieces? Hikigaya had no interest in knowing the answer to this question; it had no impact on the current situation. What he really cared about was what would happen to Zero after he had retrieved all the pieces of the belt.

Today's No. 0 is just an intermediate form without a belt, but his strength is already so strong that the power he possesses is even enough to temporarily change the celestial phenomena. His strength is not inferior to the red form of Kuuga who was once strengthened by the fifth element, and may even be better.

So, if it could piece all the fragments back together to form the original belt and use it to transform back into its full form, how powerful would Number Zero become? If just one fragment could enhance Number Three to such a terrifying degree, then what level of power could a fully pieced-back belt achieve?

Hikigaya didn't know, but if possible, he would rather never know the answer.

Because he knew very well that when No. 0 turned back into its complete form, it would definitely become a nightmare for everyone, and even the entire world.

But now that the matter is settled, it's likely something we'll have to deal with sooner or later. To deal with this terrifying and terrifying Zero, perhaps the only remaining method for humanity is...

Hikigaya glanced obscurely at Zaimokuza, who had a dazed expression after hearing his words, and thought of the black Kuuga who had appeared briefly before, and his heart felt as depressed as if a huge rock was pressing on it.

His hands in his pockets silently clenched into fists, trembling slightly. For the first time, he felt that his life was truly a failure, whether in the future, the past, or even the present.

When perhaps the only friend in life faces such a cruel ending in the future, you have already left the scene early in the future, and your past self can only act as a spectator, watching your friend walk towards the bloody altar set up by fate, burning his life to fight for the world... This feeling of powerlessness is really terrible.

This world is neither gentle nor correct.

——Why am I always unable to do anything at times like this?

"Ultimate darkness." Kousaka Kyosuke didn't know how many times he had heard this word today, but there was no doubt that everything that happened in this incident was closely linked to this word.

If "Kikiru" is a sacrificial ritual as B1 claims, then the reason B traveled all the way to Nagano Prefecture and massacred the entire village of Toiba was to offer the villagers there as sacrifices in order to summon something.

According to Zero, all that Number Three did was to summon the "Ultimate Darkness," and he pushed the process to the final step, but...

[He looked past Daguba toward the mountain shrouded in the pyramid, his eyes flickering, and it was obvious that his purpose had failed.]

Even though we don't know what it wants to summon, considering that these Gurongis don't care about humans, their failure is a good thing for humans.

While the exact nature of that pyramid remains unclear, current human technology is unlikely to reach such a level. Excluding the Gurongi, the only entity capable of such a feat would likely be something left behind by the ancient civilization of the Gulindo clan. Given their technological prowess, which enabled them to create the belt within Zaimokuza, they likely foresaw this scenario in the distant past and developed countermeasures.

But he didn't feel the slightest bit of relief. Instead, a fierce rage suddenly surged from the depths of his soul. Kousaka's teeth clanged together, all because of this damned "Ultimate Darkness"!

[Countless lives have been lost because of this thing. From the ancient times to the present, how many lives have been devoured by this thing? How many times will this shit have to repeat itself before it ends?]

"Not only KUUGA, I also have high hopes for you~"

【“——”】

The voice behind him nearly gave Kousaka Kyosuke a heart attack. He stared at the empty space ahead, his brain nearly shutting down in shock. When...?

He was about to leap up in shock, but a hand on his shoulder suppressed any movement. Though the other person hadn't exerted any force, he felt it as if a mountain were pressing down on his shoulders. Daguba half-crouched behind Kosaka, whispering affectionately in his ear.

"Keep getting stronger. Let me see how strong you can become and whether you can continue to come before me."

"Goodbye, brother."

[As soon as the words fell, that innocent voice disappeared, along with the overwhelming sense of pressure.]

The flames, suppressed until they were almost extinguished, began to burn again, dust rebounded and splashed upwards, noisy sounds came from all directions, and the area "came alive" again.

But Kousaka Kyosuke remained calm, his gaze darting behind him. Through the faint white smoke rising from the distinct black handprints on the shoulders of his windbreaker, he saw that there was no one behind him. Number Zero had left, vanishing like a gust of night wind.

Kosaka suddenly gasped for breath, the sound like a broken bellows, each breath bringing with it ancient dust and turbidity. He leaned forward with both hands to support his shaky body, and cold sweat broke out, covering his forehead in an instant.

A white searchlight, accompanied by the sound of propellers cutting through the air, illuminates the two people in the pit. A rescue helicopter slowly descends from mid-air. A small logo, resembling a piano being played, is printed on the right side of the helicopter. This is the Kotobuki family crest.

As a newly emerged chaebol that rose to prominence during the Meiji Restoration, the Kotobuki family was influenced by foreign cultures, even their family crest was Westernized. Compared to other older, more established families, they could be considered "young." The emergency number Kousaka dialed went directly to a rescue company affiliated with the Kotobuki family. As one of the chaebols controlling the country, their influence permeated every aspect of society. For some unknown reason, Kousaka's phone number was registered with all of the Kotobuki family's companies, granting them VIP treatment.

A lifeline was lowered from the helicopter to Kousaka and Zaimokuza, and several figures wearing bulletproof vests and carrying submachine guns jumped down, holding the lifeline. They stood guard with their guns.

Several paramedics in white descended another suspended life ladder. They first unfolded the portable modular stretcher they carried and carefully lifted the blood-soaked Tsai Mu Zai onto it. Then, they tied the lifeline to the stretcher's buckle and slowly pulled him into the helicopter.

Kousaka Kyosuke remained motionless as the doctor treated his chest wound, then lifted him onto another stretcher and pulled him toward the helicopter via a lifeline. Throughout the entire process, his face remained expressionless, not even a frown as the highly irritating disinfectant was applied to the wound on his chest. He was as stubborn as a rock.

[But his right hand, lying flat on his side, had been clenched into a fist at some point, and drops of blood were oozing out from the gaps between his fingers.]

The rescue helicopter took off, and just as it was about to fly away, the piercing sound of sirens, accompanied by a long line of police cars and ambulance lights, arrived from outside Waichang Village, breaking the dead silence that had enveloped the area.

This long day ended with the sound of alarm bells.

65. Traveler (6K)

[Nagano Prefecture, Nagano City, a private hospital under the Kotobuki family.]

【11:25 PM】

It was already late at night, but the hospital, which was supposed to be closed, was now overcrowded. The noise was like a seafood market that had just opened at nine in the morning. However, the sounds filled the place not with the shouts and hawking of vendors, but with the wails of the injured and the sobbing of their relatives.

Due to the sheer number of people crammed into the hospital, the entire facility is currently operating at full capacity. Doctors and nurses are shuttling back and forth among the densely packed crowd, but are still unable to cope with the overwhelming number of injuries. Therefore, they have requested humanitarian assistance from other hospitals and the local government. New medical resources are being continuously injected into the hospital, barely maintaining normal operations.

Even so, the hospital was completely overwhelmed by the injured from Waichang Village and surrounding areas. There were so many people that there weren't enough beds, and they were crammed into the hospital hallways. To avoid a stampede and further unrest, the hospital had to mobilize its remaining vehicles to transport the injured in batches to other hospitals in the city that had received the news and were urgently seeking treatment. This temporarily impacted the city's normal medical operations.

[However, compared to the current surge of public opinion, this situation has become a minor matter.]

[There's nothing we can do. This incident was truly too catastrophic. Waichang Village and the surrounding area were completely and physically razed to the ground. The magnitude of the impact is simply indescribable.]

Even late-night television broadcasts nationwide were urgently canceled, with screens broadcasting a rolling report on the incident. Even the often indifferent Tokyo TV station broke the news by participating in a report on this unidentified life form for the second time. This was undoubtedly not a situation that could be resolved by simply having a few politicians take the blame and step down. At the very least, tomorrow morning, this incident would undoubtedly make headlines in every newspaper nationwide, and the buzz would likely last for at least a month, rivaling the former Prime Minister's Tianzhu incident.

[And Soba Village was only the primary victim location. This time, Unidentified Lifeform No. 3 set out directly from Tokyo towards Nagano Prefecture, slaughtering as they advanced, crushing all police efforts along the way while also causing countless casualties. It's no exaggeration to describe their actions as bloody, every step of their way.]

The most surprising incident was that the tank, previously flung by No. 3, flew across the entire city before crashing into a mansion owned by a political official on the outskirts of the city, killing both the official and his mistress who were having an affair there. When firefighters dug the tank out of the rubble, they found the official and his mistress nearby, naked and embracing, their lower bodies crushed into a bloody mess. Police concluded that they were likely killed by the tank while they were in the process of creating a human being, thus skipping the final step.

According to official statistics, the number of police officers killed on the scene or later from injuries sustained has already exceeded five digits. Japan's total population is approximately 120 million, and the police force accounts for approximately 300,000. This means that today alone, No. 3 has directly painted approximately one-thirtieth of Japan's police force red. This translates to the decimation of one-third of all traffic police, or at least the entire police force of an entire prefecture.

This is already enough to inflict incredible damage on the current police system. Furthermore, this is only the number of police fatalities; the civilian toll is naturally even greater. Add to that the number of victims from the previous Tokyo incident involving the 34th, and both the casualties and economic losses surpass those of the "Red Lotus Disaster" incident a month ago. Upon hearing this news from his subordinates, the Superintendent suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital, where he is currently receiving emergency treatment. The hospital he entered just happened to be the same one where the former Prime Minister was shot two years ago, even sharing the same emergency room.

In peacetime, the impact of such a horrific and devastating security incident on the entire nation is truly earth-shattering. The police's inability to act against the unidentified lifeforms has once again thrust the Metropolitan Police Department into the spotlight. Even at this moment, the police department is flooded with complaints. All officers are forced to pull all-nighters, sweating profusely as they prepare for press conferences and the customary bows of apology. However, they can't even find anyone suitable to take the blame. Due to the sheer magnitude of the incident, no one dares to step forward.

[But no matter what, this day finally passed, and the long event that made everyone involved feel like they were going through hell finally came to an unsatisfactory end.]

On the top floor of this private hospital, even the elevator requires a key card and password to access the floor number displayed on the display. In stark contrast to the clamor below, a serene silence pervades the area. The building's superior soundproofing blocks out all noise, even creating a sense of comfort within.

This floor has only three rooms: an emergency room, a ward, and a treatment room. In the past, only the most powerful officials and wealthy individuals, even chaebol aristocrats, were able to stay here and enjoy its services. Many staff members at this hospital were unaware of the details of this floor. Even the windows facing the outside are one-way glass, ensuring that only those inside can see outside, while those outside cannot see in. This clearly demonstrates the hospital's confidentiality and service-oriented nature.

The lights were off, except for the ward, which was still brightly lit. A bright light shone through the crack in the door, illuminating the doorplate hanging on the wall. Two names were clearly handwritten on the plate.

[The upper part is Kousaka Kyosuke, the lower part is Zaimokuza Yoshiteru. 】

"Are you really okay? Mr. Kosaka!"

The girl with beige hair spoke eagerly on the phone screen. Her face revealed a slender neck and chin. Two thin silk straps were wrapped around her shoulders and hair. Add to that the luxurious, girlish room decorations behind her, and it was clear she was talking on the phone in her own room, wearing a nightgown.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Kousaka Kyosuke lay in a hospital bed, his right hand in a cast, the other hand holding a phone as he video-called Kotobuki. To prevent the girl from seeing his condition and potentially worrying him further, Kousaka held the phone very close to his face. Even so, the bandages and hemostatic patches around his face made her feel a surge of worry.

"But I heard from my father that Mr. Kousaka was seriously injured in the battle with No. 3 in Nagano Prefecture and is currently being treated at my family's hospital. The doctor said your condition is extremely critical! You might not survive tonight..."

Kotobuki said, covering her mouth with one hand. She looked at the person she loved, now lying across from her covered in bandages. Having watched so many Korean dramas and being familiar with similar plots, she imagined Kousaka forcing a smile to comfort herself with his last breath to avoid worrying her. By the end of her imagination, her eyes were filled with tears, staring at Kousaka with tearful eyes.

"Uh...don't worry, I'm really fine now. The doctor was probably talking about someone else's medical report, not mine. My condition is now completely stable."

Being stared at by those eyes that were extremely lethal to men, even the iron-hearted Kosaka felt an inexplicable pressure sweeping over him. The corners of his mouth twitched a few times, and he spoke with a dry smile.

After spending some time together, he now understands not only Kotobuki but also her father's personality. His obsession with his daughter is well-known throughout the upper class. The most famous incident is that as a child, Kotobuki, after watching a space-themed romantic sci-fi movie, found the moon so beautiful that he naively believed its surface was covered in sparkling gems and wanted one to treasure.

The next day, after hearing about this, the father used his connections to call NASA, hoping that the astronauts about to head to the moon would find a gem on the moon. He wanted to give it to his daughter to fulfill her dream. The astronauts were completely stunned by this request.

[Gemstones? Where do gemstones come from on the moon's surface? Do you want the lunar soil all over the ground? Maybe you can even take it back to farm.]

Fortunately, the astronaut's superiors knew this request was too outrageous, so they used their connections to purchase a high-purity Dusk Emerald from the gem market at a high price. They managed to get the astronauts to take it aboard, then buried it in the lunar soil. They then filmed a special video to stage the scene. Later, they gave the gem, along with the "discovery" video, to Kotobuki on her birthday as a gift, which delighted the innocent little girl and made her father kiss her cheek.

If a father who would go to great lengths for his daughter, knowing he'd made her cry... Kosaka couldn't help but shudder. Regardless of whether she'd listen to his explanation or not, the scene was simply too beautiful, though a bit risky.

Although he was nearing death, he still hoped to live out every remaining day to the fullest, not wanting to simply be buried in such a muddled state.

Seeing the girl's genuine concern for him, Kousaka's heart was also slightly touched. Although he usually tried his best to avoid meeting her due to various reasons of guilt, after experiencing such a tragic and turbulent day, his heart could not help but feel extremely tired.